Study finds clue in Zika virus outbreakWASHINGTON — New details about the possible effects of the Zika virus on the fetal brain emerged Wednesday as U.S. health officials say mosquito eradication here and abroad is key to protect pregnant women until they can develop a vaccine. European researchers uncovered an extremely abnormal brain — not only a fraction of the proper size but lacking the usual crinkly neural folds — in a fetus whose mother suffered Zika symptoms at the end of t...

The failure of multiculturalismJust as radar warns of approaching storms, so does the flood of migrants entering Europe warn us of a deluge yet to come, not only for Europeans, if they continue to allow unrestricted immigration, but for the United States. Reports that women in Cologne, Germany, have been groped and robbed by men described by authorities as having “a North African or Arabic” appearance should be warning enough, but there are other and more ominous warnings t...

Bones of hunted mammoth show early human presence in Arctic NEW YORK — The remains of a mammoth that was hunted down about 45,000 years ago have revealed the earliest known evidence of humans in the Arctic. Marks on the bones, found in far northern Russia, indicate the creature was stabbed and butchered. The tip of a tusk was damaged in a way that suggests human activity, perhaps to make ivory tools. With a minimal age estimate of 45,000 years, the discovery extends the record of human presence in the ...

Rickman made his career by being deliciously wickedLONDON — Alan Rickman made wickedness delicious. Reviewing Rickman’s breakout role as a scheming hedonist aristocrat in the play “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” Guardian newspaper critic Nicholas de Jongh likened the actor to “a cat who knows the way to the cream.” Rickman, who died of cancer Thursday aged 69, went on to become one of the great Hollywood villains of the last 30 years. With his rich, languid voice and subtly expressive face, Rickma...

Alan Rickman, star of stage and 'Harry Potter' dies at 69 LONDON — British actor Alan Rickman, a classically-trained stage star and sensual screen villain in the "Harry Potter" saga and other films, has died. He was 69. Rickman's family said Thursday that the actor had died after a battle with cancer. Trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rickman was often cast as the bad guy; with his rich, languid voice he could invest evil with wicked, irresistible relish. His breakout role was...

Legendary musician David Bowie dies of cancer at 69 NEW YORK — David Bowie, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died of cancer Sunday. He was 69 and had just released a new album. Bowie, whose hits included "Space Oddity," ''Fame," ''Heroes" and "Let's Dance," died "peacefully" and was surrounded by family, representative Steve Martin said early Mon...

Glaciers’ melting causing slowing of Earth’s rotationThe melting of glaciers caused by the world’s rising temperatures appears to be causing a slight slowing of the Earth’s rotation in another illustration of the far-reaching impact of global climate change, a study in the journal of Science Advances said. The driving force behind the modest but discernible changes in the Earth’s rotation measured by satellites and astronomical methods is a global sea level rise fueled by an influx of meltwater ...

US power grid vulnerable to foreign hacksSAN JOSE, Calif. — Security researcher Brian Wallace was on the trail of hackers who had snatched a California university’s housing files when he stumbled into a larger nightmare: Cyberattackers had opened a pathway into the networks running the United States power grid. Digital clues pointed to Iranian hackers. And Wallace found that they had already taken passwords, as well as engineering drawings of dozens of power plants, at least one with...

Carter seeks new ways to battle Islamic StateBAGHDAD — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday he came away from meetings with Iraqi leaders with no agreement on the use of Apache attack helicopters or additional military advisers in the battle to retake the key city of Ramadi from Islamic State militants. But he said the U.S. was ready to provide such support if the Iraqis asked. Speaking to reporters after meetings with Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and others, Carter said th...

Now comes the tough part: The world's carbon diet startsPARIS (AP) — The world is about to go on a carbon diet. It won't be easy — or cheap. Nearly 200 nations across the world on Saturday approved a first-of-its-kind universal agreement to wean Earth off fossil fuels and slow global warming, patting themselves on the back for showing such resolve. On Sunday morning, like for many first day dieters, the reality sets in. The numbers — like calorie limits and hours needed in the gym — are daunting. H...

Angela Merkel named Time's Person of the YearNEW YORK (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named Time's Person of the Year, praised Wednesday by the magazine for her leadership on everything from Syrian refugees to the Greek debt crisis. Time also cited Merkel's strong response to "Vladimir Putin's creeping theft of Ukraine" and on its cover called her "Chancellor of the Free World." "Not once or twice but three times there has been reason to wonder this year whether Europe co...

Woman in California rampage had become more devoutSAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A change came over Tashfeen Malik two or three years ago. She started dressing more conservatively, wearing a scarf that covered nearly all her face, and became more devout in her Muslim faith, according to some who knew her in Pakistan. But her path from there to the bloody events of this past week — when she and her husband slaughtered 14 people in a commando-style shooting rampage — remains a mystery, with FBI offic...

The Latest: Britain claims 'real blow' against IS LONDON — The latest developments regarding the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq: All times local: 9:50 a.m. Britain's defense secretary says British Tornados struck at oil fields that help finance the activities of the Islamic State group — the first strikes to follow after a vote in Parliament authorizing military action in Syria. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told the BBC that the Omar fields in eastern Syria were t...

For some, the older the smartphone, the betterNEW YORK — Between splashy launches, lavish new-phone offers (get a free HDTV on activation!) and frequent software updates that slow down your old handset, it sometimes feels like the entire technology industry is pushing you to buy the latest smartphone. Yet some holdouts resist. Take Zak Sommerfield, 35, a software analyst in New York, who has hung onto his LG Delight flip phone for five years, even though his friends and co-workers make fu...

Putin levies sanctions on Turkey for downing jetANKARA, Turkey — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called for sanctions against Turkey, following the downing this week by Turkey of a Russian warplane. The decree published on the Kremlin’s website Saturday came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had voiced regret over the incident, saying his country was “truly saddened” by the event and wished it hadn’t occurred. It includes a ban on some goods and forbids extensi...

Cameron: Britain must attack IS in Syria to deny group safe havenLONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron tried to persuade reluctant lawmakers to back airstrikes on the Islamic State group in Syria, saying Thursday that the Paris attacks have given the fight new urgency and Britain owes it to key allies to act. Cameron told the House of Commons that President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande had urged Britain to join the military campaign in Syria. “These are our closest allies and ...

Mutated mosquitoesWASHINGTON — California researchers hatched some malaria-resistant mosquitoes and then gave evolution a shove — using a groundbreaking technology to ensure the insects pass on that protective gene as they reproduce, with implications far beyond the promise of fighting malaria. The experiment reported Monday involves what’s called a “gene drive,” a technique that, if it pans out, promises to alter the genetics of populations of insects and cert...

Pope says political interests must not derail climate talksNAIROBI, Kenya — Pope Francis warned Thursday that it would be “catastrophic” for world leaders to let special interest groups get in the way of a global agreement to curb fossil fuel emissions as he brought his environmental message to the heart of Africa on the eve of crucial climate change talks in Paris. Francis issued the pointed warning in a speech to the U.N.’s regional office here after celebrating his first public Mass on the continen...

Endangered white rhino dies at San Diego-area zoo SAN DIEGO — One of only four northern white rhinos believed left in the world died Sunday at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Nola, a 41-year-old female who has been at the park since 1989, was euthanized after her health took a turn for the worse, a zoo statement said. The geriatric rhino had arthritis and other ailments and was being treated for a bacterial infection linked to an abscess in her hip. Nola had surgery on Nov. 13 to drain the abscess...

Fate of terror mastermind unclear after raidSAINT-DENIS, France — The hunt for the mastermind of last week’s attacks took a bloody turn Wednesday to a Paris suburb where a fierce gunbattle with police left at least two people dead and eight arrested. The fate of the alleged ringleader was unclear, with authorities saying he was not taken alive and they were trying to determine if he died in the raid. Police launched the operation after receiving information from tapped phone calls, surv...